Tangled Threads
by ladybun007
Summary: ... in which the protag may or may not be more realistic and strong to survive in a world full of malicious intent. OC-centric
1. Startup

**Ummm... Yeah, I should be working on my -ay Man story, but I spent my days languishing around reading Kamisama Hajimemashita, and now a plot bunny has been kicking me in the head for the past week. Thank you for reading, even though the number of stories in this fandom are sorta... miniscule? ^^' Well, anyways, enjoy~**

* * *

A little girl bounced on her father's lap. "Tell me more, tell me more!" The girl's fists beat gently on her father's chest, and he sighed.

"So, the story of the fox is from a long, long time ago, in the netherworld..."

* * *

The rumpled pile of duvets moved as the seemingly disembodied hand under it searched for the snooze button for yet a fourth time. Luckily, the owner of the hand finally decided to stick her bed-head out from her bed, and was soon shrieking at the ungodly hour of the morning. She quickly pulled on her secretly stolen male uniform and barreled out of the door. The gods above clearly didn't like her today, so they had decided to finally allow the greedy loan sharks to find the unfortunate girl's house. The beady-eyed man glared at her contemptuously down his nose at her unsightly appearance. In a thin, reedy voice, he stated rather slowly, as if the girl wouldn't understand conversational Japanese, "Is your father home?"

The girl, named Yozora Fuyu, widened her eyes. "Fuck."

* * *

Grumbling bitter curses under her breath, Fuyu made the bench she sat on squeak. Hearing a panicked yell, her eye twitched involuntarily, and despite her usually indifferent self, yelled at the commotion, "Shut your traps!" Unsurprisingly, her sudden outburst did nothing except to excite the dog that happened to be the trigger to the noise. She swiftly gripped the unlucky dog by the collar and threw it into a nearby garbage bin. Wiping her hands on her uniform pants, she turned to the victim. The blond man in glasses was wiping his eyes in relief. "Thank you, I have a terrible fear of dogs." Raising her eyebrow delicately, Fuyu looked at him expectantly. The man jumped, and sighed. "I'm sorry, my name is Mikage, what is yours?" Resisting the urge to facepalm, Fuyu ground out her name.

"Pardon me, what was that?"

"Yozoro Fuyu, are you deaf?" Fuyu glared at him.

Mikage seemed to slouch a bit. "I'm sorry if I've offended you-"

Fuyu looked away for a second at his sheer oblivion. "I've just had a bad day, alright? I suppose you would too, if your house got taken and you were turned into the street."

Mikage made a dramatic face and covered his mouth (politely). "If that's the case, you can take my home, you would be a much better master than me. Oh boy, Tomoe's going to be so mad~" He then handed her a piece of paper with chicken scratch on it. As she began to study it, he suddenly kissed her forehead and skipped away. Fuyu, who was still frozen in shock, finally began to register what had happened. "AAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!"

* * *

At the top the stairs, she knocked on the _shoji _screen, but no one answered. Shrugging, she tugged it open, only to be met by a menacing aura. "Welcome back, Mikage-_sama..._" A man- wait, were those ears?-appeared out of nowhere.

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!"

* * *

After clearing up the misunderstanding with the minimum amount of bruises (which was eight), Tomoe grumpily left for the red-lights district. Fuyu had a tic mark from all the fussing over from Kotetsu and Onikiri, and finally shut them out the door. Feeling slightly guilty after a while, she let the two back in. They started to explain about the duties of a _tochigami_, but stopped when they realized that the girl was sleeping. Shrugging, they decided to come back in the morning.

Yawning, Fuyu rubbed her eyes and rolled over. Suddenly sitting up, she realized she didn't hear an alarm. Then, she noticed the walls around her and groaned audibly. "It wasn't a dream?!"

Onikiri and Kotetsu started teaching her about the _tochigami_'s job, she grew less enthusiastic. When it came to the task of weeding the yard, however, she paled. Although she was used to the indoor jobs, like cleaning and repainting (_kami_ knew how many times she had done that), she hadn't ever done yard work because her father and her were never able to afford a place with growing room. She cautiously pulled at the thorny plants, but because she had no gloves, tore her skin, and crimson blossomed on her skin. Hissing in annoyance, she popped her fingers in her mouth to staunch the bleeding. Feeling a breeze and a rustle of leaves, she realized the the fox familiar had come back. Tomoe opened his fan. "My, my, the dirty little girl can't even weed a lawn~" She threw a clod of dirt at his smug face and growled.

"Everyone has to start somewhere, Foxy Loxy."

"Why don't you just go home? You aren't fit to be _tochigami_ anyway."

Fuyu bent over to go back to weeding. "Try going back to a place the government's already confiscated."

Tomoe hid his face with his fan. "How was I supposed to know that?"

Aiming to kick her over, his foot moved toward her back, but she'd already grabbed it and was in position to give his foot serious pain. Surprised, he jerked his foot back, his _geta_ falling off.

"Shoo, go to your red-lights district and leave me alone," Fuyu threw the shoe backwards at him, which he caught haughtily.

* * *

After hearing the old lady's voice, she looked through the prayer books and groaned. "Onikiri~ Kotetsu~ I don't want to be a god after all..." Hearing this, the two Will-O'-Wisps panicked and started persuading her to stay, and by telling her how Tomoe did all the work beforehand. Now feeling slightly guilty (again), she decided that she would go find him to apologize.

Finding the fox _youkai_ in a brothel was surprisingly easy, since Kotetsu seemed to know exactly where he was. Tomoe was half undressed and downing cup after cup of _sake_. The two shrine guardians were pleading with the fox, but he decided not to care whether the shrine survived or not. They only got passive replies until they said that Fuyu herself was in the netherworld. When Onikiri and Kotetsu started getting beat up by the _tanuki _girls, Fuyu stepped in, grabbed them, and left without saying a word. As she stalked off angrily, some demons grabbed for her, and Tomoe, ever being the knight in shining armor, saved her. After a short bout of sarcastic arguing (actually, only Tomoe was actually talking, Fuyu just grunted), they parted ways; Tomoe to the brothel, Fuyu to the bus.

Realizing that the bus to the human world had gone, and wouldn't be back for another three hours, the Will-O'-Wisps took the chance to persuade her into binding a contract with the fox familiar. When they told her about the kiss, she ran behind one of the scraggly trees and began to dry-heave. An old woman appeared, asking for help because of a sprained ankle. Fuyu began to back away slowly because of a foreboding feeling. The woman then sighed, and transformed into a hag.

"Seems like my disguise didn't work this time. In that case, I'll just eat you now!"

* * *

After trying to implement her martial arts skills, Fuyu realized that it would be no use, since the demon just tried to get any part of her body in between her teeth. Running into Onikiri, he gave her some white talismans and an ink brush, explaining while they ran. Gritting her teeth, she picked up a stick and put a talisman with the characters for 'magic wand' on it. Onikiri sweatdropped and explained how the object had to have powers that didn't surpass hers. After using the second charm as a distraction, as the witch suddenly popped up behind them, she was hiding in a bamboo thicket with Onikiri. The witch had found them again, and Onikiri had forced her to write Tomoe's name on the last charm, before helping Fuyu climb a tree. Fuyu felt pissed off at the tree. It's limbs were far apart and the trunk was fairly smooth. "I'm use to climbing buildings, not trees!" The hag had grabbed her ankle above her _tabi_, so she couldn't escape. As she struggled to pull her leg free, Tomoe appeared and sat back to enjoy the show. Falling finally, she grabbed his foot on accident, and due to the position, accidentally had her face smashed onto Tomoe's by the tree. Still free falling, she yelped, "Somebody, save me!" Due to the power of the _kotodama_, Tomoe's free lifestyle was cut short.

* * *

Finishing up his yelling and abuse at the old demon, Tomoe was thanked, through gritted teeth, by the new _tochigami_. Onikiri and Kotetsu successfully brought the fox and the human back to the shrine, with the minimal amount of injuries.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading~ Please tell me if you like this idea/character and give me feedback so I can do my best the improve and perfect this story (even though there's only on chappie)~ Review and I love you too~**


	2. It begins!

**Hello again, after many months of not going on FFNet! I think I may have learned to write a teensy bit better now, and I'm working on making this piece good. I know I should have done this earlier, but must I tell you that humans are extremely vulnerable to being sloths?**

**Another thing is that I really would like to wish for this little fandom to expand, and I apologize if you don't like how I completely replaced Nanami. I hope you all can understand that I found Nanami extremely weak, stereotypical, and overall "goddess"-like, and how I had a need to change things, and make a character who was definitely more human, more jaded, and more unforgiving. Please enjoy~**

* * *

Fuyu yawned widely, and stretched under a blanket. "Haa~"

She rolled out slowly, and struggled with her _obi_, as it had gotten caught on the blanket. She blinked as she took in the room around her. Then shouted.

* * *

"WHAAA! What happened?" Fuyu was frantically searching for her jacket. A rather surprised Onikiri and Kotetsu peered into the room. A frantic looking girl ran past them, the _yukata_ flapping around her legs. She skidded to a stop in front of her familiar. "Tomoe, tell me, where is my jacket?" Her eyes gleamed with killer intent. He raised a delicate eyebrow at her. "If you hadn't gone on a rampage in your room, I believe you would have found them next to your _futon_."

She quickly ran into her room, and sighed in relief. She dug her fingers around the seam until she found her hidden pocket. Taking off her _yukata_, she folded it neatly on top of her _futon._ Fingering the heavy jade, she shrugged the dark red material on, and proceeded to dress fully. Tomoe called from outside, "Did you find it yet, little girl?" Feeling rather pissed off, she simply trudged out and plopped onto the floor next to him.

"So... Would you mid explaining godly principles to a _weak, human girl _who is also currently your master?"

"... Make wine out of this water." A bucket of water sat next to him, and he gestured for her to take it.

Fuyu's eyebrow twitched. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Tomoe merely sighed and passed her an ink brush and a white charm. Fuyu gave him a suspicious glance, but wrote 'grape juice' on it, then dropped it onto the water. A vein was slowly pulsing on his neck. Seeing this, Fuyu explained, "My dad was an alchoholic."

Onikiri received the honors to try the water, and very surprised, told her that it had a fruity flavor. Tomoe stared at the bucket, as if willing it to do more. Fuyu just chuckled to herself at that. Tomoe's gaze suddenly shifted to her jacket. "_Hmm..._"

* * *

Kotetsu was now encouraging her to try and make a tree bloom. She tried desperately, but after about ten tries, she gave up and just flopped onto the grass and stared at the blue sky. She was pouting, and before she knew it, her eyes closed gently.

"_Kirrrrrriii!_" A small white bird landed on the grass in front of her face. "I bring a message from my lady. The Princess of the Swamp wishes to greet the new _tochigami_ this evening."

* * *

"Tomoe! What is the meaning of this?" Tomoe was currently ordering her to stay in her room. "What is your problem? If the person they wish to meet doesn't come out to greet them, what would this say about the host?" Tomoe's bright eyes flashed. "Just stay in here until the guest leave." He slammed the door shut, leaving a flabbergasted Fuyu alone in her room.

"Fuyu-_sama_!" The two persistant shrine deities guarded her ankles. "Tomoe-_dono_ said to not leave the room! We'll all get in trouble!" She hushed them, and put her ear to the wall.

"...she's just a frail little girl. To let someone like her be the land god will surely make this shrine fall."

"Oh, that's not true. Don't let Fuyu-_sama_'s looks fool you. Her heart and mind are strong. Someday..."

"...she'll make the flowers bloom."

Fuyu turned red, then pinched herself to make the heat in her face go away. By now, she'd missed a couple of sentences, but realized that the situation had escalated dangerously. Deciding that now was a good time to intervene, she smoothly opened the screen doors.

"I apologize for my lateness. I had a bit of business to do. But it seems that now, one of your bodyguards has decided to point a weapon at my familiar. I believe that as the host, a guest should be polite, yes?" Fuyu's impassive voice contradicted with her gently smiling face. The guy with a weird haircut stepped out. "So the _tochigami_ really is just a frail little child. I'll have you pay in flesh and blood for the insults to Himemiko-_sama_!"

* * *

Tomoe attempted to stand in front of her, but she shot a nonverbal command with a sharp glare. "If you want a fight, you can have one. Even though I'm a mere human, I have some skills." She dropped down into a relaxed position, feet apart. "Himemiko-_sama_, I'll apologize beforehand for a possible attempt to damage your bodyguard." Tomoe was currently struggling against his bonds. The human fish tch'd. "I suppose, that for a human, you've got guts."

Himemiko finally spoke. "That's the nonverbal form of the word-binding spell, isn't it? You must truly be the _tochigami_." She continued. "I would like to apologize for my bodyguard. After all, I came here to have you grant my bond-tying prayer."

* * *

"Tomoe~"

"Tomoe, if you don't come out, I'll cook for myself and burn the shrine down." Fuyu was actually very surprised with herself. She'd already called for him over fifteen minutes. A voice came from behind her. She sighed. "You could have just ordered me to come instead of wasting your time." She turned around. Well, she would next time. "What were you doing last night?" She raised her eyebrow at him, knowing he might have sneaked off to a demon brothel. "I was just on the roof." She raised another eyebrow. "Drinking." Satisfied with his answer, she picked up her jacket and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to town. To look for Himemiko's future husband."

* * *

As it turned out, Tomoe insisted on tagging along, after forcing him to conceal his ears. She marched around for a total of three minutes and twenty-five seconds, only to give in to her impulses to buy ice cream. She took bites of the cold ice cream, swallowing dejectedly. "Hey~ Look, it's the wildcat!" Isobe, a (kind of) friend, had appeared and was being a pain in the ass. After your impulsive greeting of a punch to the jaw, he asked her THE question. And Fuyu kicked him in the balls for it.

"Did your old man finally run away? Oh, right, rumors say the house was confiscated and you're living on the streets now! Tell me, tell me~" You rolled your eyes and tried to ignore him, only to be pulled away by a strangely irritated Tomoe. "Don't touch-" Fuyu grabbed his ear, and whispered angrily into it, "He's a human, okay?" He snapped back at you, "Well, I didn't come here to eat ice cream! I came here to find Urashima Koutarou!" The cashier approached nervously. "Um, hello, you were looking for me?"

* * *

Fuyu walked over. "So, you like solving Rubix cubes?"

"A-ah, yes. It's the only thing I can do..." Fuyu smirked slightly.

"You see, my friend has had a crush on you for a long time." _More like ten years._"Anyways, would you please agree to meet her? At least once?"

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaaand, that's it folks! I'm sorry for taking so much time, and I hope you all will keep coming for the next chapter. Hehe, writing is fun, but reading is better. Well, this is a long chapter, with over 1,300 words! Woot! I hope you all enjoyed, and please don't bash without reasons! Give critique, or I'll feel like reviews are a waste of space! Thank you!**_  
_


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